


i’d take care of you, if you ask me to

by 911gallavich



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Buckley Siblings, Crying Buck, Domestic, Fluff, M/M, Madney Baby Shower, Neglectful Parents, Protective Eddie, Shitty Buckley Parents, firefam - Freeform, sad buck, the boys are in love, they’re the worst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 12:40:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/911gallavich/pseuds/911gallavich
Summary: the firefam gathers for maddie and chimney’s baby shower, when the buckley parents surprise everyone by showing up. and of course they’re horrible to buck, and of course eddie gets protective
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)/Evan “Buck” Buckley, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 4
Kudos: 281





	i’d take care of you, if you ask me to

**Author's Note:**

> this idea came from a tweet i saw on twitter, the person asked to be anonymous, but thank you for the idea!

The party was in full swing. Everyone was here, and the games had begun. While it was a known fact that Chimney secretly loved parties and planning them, they knew Maddie’s baby shower would be amazing. However, no one expected him to go all out. 

There was a cake, dozens of appetizers and snacks, and many games on the schedule. He really went for it on this one and that’s how Buck knew that Maddie would always be taken care of, he didn’t need to worry about her anymore. Letting go would be hard, growing up they were always there for each other. Buck knew that Maddie would always have his back, no matter what, and he would have hers. Now knowing that she had someone else in her corner was reassuring, just a little bittersweet. 

Earlier in the day, they played a baby food taste test game, which almost ended in Bobby throwing up, and Chimney loving it. Now, they had just finished painting onesies for the new baby, everyone designing their own with a little message or picture. Hen’s, to no one’s surprise, was beautiful. It had a little teddy bear on the front with a fire hat on top. Meanwhile, Buck’s looked like it could’ve been done by the baby itself. And everyone let him know. 

“Buckaroo, honey I love you but what is that supposed to be?” Athena asked as she came to stand next to him. 

“It’s a dinosaur.”

“Is it?” Eddie asked as he chuckled from across the table. “I think Chris needs to giving you some drawing lessons.” 

“Alright fine, so I’m not the best artist, it’s the thought that counts.”

“Yes it is, thank you Buck,” said Maddie as she came to inspect the onesie. “I love it, and I’m sure this little guy will love it as well.”

With his sisters approval, he stuck his tongue out at Eddie and went to go put the onesie out to dry. 

Once everyone was done with the onesies and the station was cleaned, Maddie announced that it was time for “Pin the Diaper on the Baby”. 

That got a laugh out of everyone, Chimney was pleased with himself. 

Just as everyone gathered around with Maddie in a blindfold, there was a knock at the door. 

“Don’t worry, I got it!” Buck said getting up off the couch. “Please watch where she’s going Chimney.”

“I got it, I got it,” he said catching her just as she was about to bump into the table. 

Buck gave him a look, Chimney smirked back, everyone else chuckled. 

Buck made his way to the door, keeping an eye on his big sister. They did not need any injuries today. He pulled open the door, expecting it to be the pizza delivery, however nothing could have prepared him for who was standing there. 

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?”

At the mention of these two uninvited guests, the room fell quiet. Maddie ripped her blindfold off and turned towards the door, shock clear on her face as well. Everyone else looked on quietly, everyone knew the Buckley siblings didn’t have the best relationship with their parents. Going off the fact that there’s been little to no mention of them since either of them moved here anyway. 

“Evan, so good to see you!”

The tone of Reagan Buckley’s voice was so fake and cold that Buck was sure everyone could tell. The pair stepped inside, Maddie coming up to stand next to Buck. 

“Maddie dear, you’re looking lovely,” Walter said as she approached. 

“Um, thank you,” she said slowly, not knowing how to proceed. “So, um, why _are_ you here?”

Really this should be a conversation they’re having in private, what with the team sitting only ten feet away. 

“Well, we saw on facebook that it was your baby shower today, we wanted to stop by and bring you something,” Reagan said. 

“Um, yeah it is, but I-“ she stopped to look over at Buck, who reached for her hand and squeezed it for reassurance. “I didn’t invite you guys, it’s kind of just a team thing.”

As she said this, the Buckley parents finally looked over and acknowledged the guests sitting in the living room. 

“Maddie what are you talking about? This is your special day, we want to be here with you.”

“I mean I get that but, maybe another time? Maybe next week?”

Buck could tell she did not want to do that. She was just trying to placate her parents and diffuse the situation as fast as possible. She was better at handling them, she always had been. 

Once you got into an argument with Reagan and Walter Buckley, it would be explosive. No doubt about it. 

“Come on dear, don’t be ridiculous!” 

He could hear it in his mom’s voice, she was about to lose it. 

“I’m sorry you guys, we are having a team party. I’ll text you tomorrow and we can set up a date.”

He was proud of his sister, she kept it calm and collected. Didn’t push, everything seemed to be okay. 

That was until his dad began talking. 

“Now Madelyn, I-“ Walter started before being cut off. 

“No dad, no. You can’t just show up and expect to be added into the party. I didn’t invite you.”

Buck thought his parents might explode. 

“Maddie, dear let’s not make a scene,” Reagan said, her tone strict. Then he saw the fire in Maddie’s eyes. She wasn’t done. 

“I can’t believe you guys flew in from Pennsylvania for a party. What about the three times I called you this past year? When Buck was in the hospital fighting for his life! Where were you then?”

“We sent him a card and some flowers, he’s fine. This isn’t about him, we came for you! We’re here for you!”

That was it, Buck couldn’t take it anymore. After hearing his father say those things, he quickly walked off into the spare room. He leaned against the wall and slid to the ground. He could feel the tears at his eyes but he didn’t want to let them out. He didn’t want to let his father win. 

Distantly, he could hear some more arguing. A few new voices joining in, he wasn’t sure who. 

All he could hear was “he’s fine” over and over again. 

••••••

It wasn’t until five minutes later when Maddie joined him. She moved to sit down next to him, Buck guiding her safely. They sat their silently for a few minutes, Maddie knowing that Buck didn’t want to talk right away. 

“They’re gone, Chim and I kicked them out,” she said gently. 

“You didn’t have to Maddie, you know they’re going to be furious.”

“Yes I did have to. This team? This is our _real_ family Buck. I’d chose them over mom and dad any day. I’d chose _you_ over them any day,” she said softly, nudging his shoulder. 

That’s when his first tear fell. 

“Thanks Maddie, I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said as she gave him a hug, standing up. 

They didn’t have to talk about it. They both just knew. 

“You take as much time as you need okay? The pizza just got here, come out when you’re ready.”

••••••

Ten minutes later Buck finally emerged, back into the party. No one looked at him, which Eddie knew he was grateful for. They all knew that Buck didn’t want to be the center of attention after witnessing just how his parents treated him. 

The second the Buckley’s had walked in the door, Eddie knew it wouldn’t end well. While Buck has never specifically mentioned anything about his parents when prompted, the way he evaded the questions said a lot more. 

Once things looked like they might go sideways, Hen had gathered the kids and sent them out to the yard with Karen. And thank god she had, Eddie completely forgot Chris was with him, he was too busy worrying about Buck. The look on his face was unreadable but it definitely wasn’t a good one. 

And that’s what worried Eddie. 

Buck had always been an open book. He wore his heart on his sleeve, his emotions were always clear as day. This was the one time in the past two years that Eddie couldn’t get a read on him. 

Once he knew Chris was settled with some pizza at the kids table, he grabbed a few slices for him and Buck. He made his way towards Buck, plopping down in the seat next to him, placing both their plates in front of them. 

And if anyone noticed that he scooted his chair a little closer to Buck, no one said anything. 

Once he was next to Buck he could see that his eyes were red. Buck had been crying. The sight broke Eddie’s heart but he didn’t dwell on it, didn’t want to make Buck uncomfortable. 

“Hey man, got you some pizza, you hungry?” he asked, laying his hand on Buck’s knee. 

Buck jumped a little at the contact. 

“Oh um, not really. Thank you though,” he said, voice quiet. 

“Alright, well it’s here if you want it.”

He then started to bite into his pizza, keeping his hand where it settled on Buck’s right leg. The team kept up a conversation around them, Eddie jumping in where necessary, but he kept most of his focus on Buck. 

Buck didn’t talk at the table, he picked at his food mostly just to keep his hands busy. He did end up eating a slice by the time the table was being cleared, but that’s nothing compared to his usual three or four. 

Eddie knew Buck was in his head, thinking. His eyes were unfocused and he was just staring off at a mark on the table.He gave a light squeeze to Buck’s knee, making the other man look up at him. Eddie gave him a questioning glance, Buck gave him a light smile. 

It didn’t help to calm his nerves but at least he knew that Buck would talk to him later. 

••••••

After dinner, Eddie heads off to go see Chris and Buck kind of lingers against the back wall, not really looking to be in the middle of things. 

“Hey Buckaroo, how you doing?” Hen asked as she leaned next to him, handing him a soda. 

“I’m fine,” he said, playing with the tab on the soda can. 

“You sure? You’re being quiet. I’ve known you for almost four years, you’re never quiet.”

That got a smile out of Buck. 

“I’m okay, really. Just hard to deal with them sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, but you know you got a family with us right? We have your back no matter what okay?”

“Thank you Hen, I know. I love you guys.”

“The one you should really be thanking, besides Maddie and Chimney for kicking them out, is Eddie.”

That caught Buck off guard. Yeah Eddie had been keeping an eye on him since he rejoined the party but he didn’t think anyone noticed it. 

“Eddie?”

“He didn’t tell you? He went off on your parents the second you left.”

“He what?” 

“Yeah he told them off, I thought he was going to physically remove them from the room.”

_ “We’re here for you!” Walter almost yelled.  _

_Then Buck was running away, Eddie could see him trying not to break. Before h_ e _knew what he was doing, he was on his feet and making his way towards the Buckleys._

_“Listen, I’m sure you both mean well but how can you not see what the problem is_ _here?”_

_ They looked shocked, like they didn’t expect Maddie to stand up to them let alone a firefighter they just met.  _

_ “Buck was in the hospital  _ twice _ , fighting for his  _ life _. His leg was crushed by a ladder truck and he was stuck underneath it, slowly bleeding out. Once we finally were able to drag him out and get him to the hospital for surgery, he lost so much blood he almost didn’t make it. It’s a miracle he survived that.” _

_The room around him was silent, the look on the Buckley’s faces was unreadable but it definitely wasn’t good._

_“Then, after a grueling recovery where he sometimes wanted to quit, he made it back. Only he suffered a pulmonary embolism at his welcome back party and collapsed after throwing up_ blood _. He was rushed to the hospital and fought for his life_ again _. On top of all that, he almost died in the tsunami. And not only did he fight for his own life, he saved my son’s as well. You never came, you never even called him, just sent him a card and that’s it huh? That’s all he deserves?”_

_ “He- he was fine, he didn’t need us,” said Reagan, almost like she didn’t know how to react.  _

_ The thing is, they didn’t seem like they felt guilty. They didn’t seem like they felt bad, they just seemed upset about being called out on it.  _

_“He did. He needed people to be there for him and to support him. You weren’t there, we were. We’d all be there for_ _Buck in a heartbeat because he’s done that for us. He helps Bobby and Athena’s kids with their homework. He watches Karen and Hen’s son when they need a night. He was there for Maddie when she needed him after this last year. He was there for Chim after the rebar incident and the stabbing. And not only did he save my son’s_ life _, he’s been there whenever Chris needed him. Whether it be a play date on the weekend or it was a phone call in the middle of the night after a nightmare.” He could feel Maddie put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, a thank you and an encouragement._

_ “You’re son is one of the most amazing, selfless, and loving people that I’ve ever met, and I’m sure everyone here can agree with me. He is there for us when we need him, and even when we don’t. He’s always there, you guys weren’t. How the two of you raised him? I’ll never know. He needed you, and you weren’t there. You have no right to show up now and make claims about him or what he needs. You don’t deserve him.” _

_ The Buckley’s looked stunned  into silence. They hadn’t made a move to say anything, and that’s when Maddie and Chimney stepped up.  _

_ “Mom, dad, you need to leave. This is a family party, our  _ real _ family.” _

_ “Madelyn, do not-“ _

_ “Mr. Buckley, with all due respect, you heard her. Please leave.” _

“He...Eddie really did that? He stood up for me? Said all those things?”

“Yeah Buckaroo, that boy really loves you. And so do we,” she said placing a messy kiss on his cheek. 

Eddie loved him?

••••••

Most of the guests had gone home a few hours later, Buck and Eddie staying to help clean up. Buck told him he didn’t need to, to which Eddie responded that yes he did because Buck helped cleanup after making the gingerbread houses at his place near Christmas time. 

Christopher was passed out on the couch from a sugar induced coma after eating the cake and sneaking a few cookies. Buck may have helped him sneak the cookies, Eddie didn’t have to know that. 

Once the cleanup was mostly done, and Maddie all but shoved them out of the apartment so she could sleep for “the rest of the year”, Buck gathered Christopher into his arms to carry him to the truck. 

“Hey, you want me to carry him? He’s pretty heavy,” Eddie asked as they made their way to the elevator. 

“I’m good. I like carrying him, and he’s not so bad.”

Eddie just nodded, knowing that Buck just wanted to cuddle Chris. It’s the only thing he wanted to do after a rough shift, he imagined this was no different for Buck. Chris just had something special that seemed to make all the problems go away. 

Just as Buck was buckling Chris into his seat, the idea popped into Eddie’s head. 

“Hey how about you stay over tonight? We can watch a movie after Chris goes down?”

“Yeah sure that sounds great,” Buck said absently. 

The way he didn’t fight it made Eddie nervous. Usually Buck had his whole thing about how he didn’t want to “intrude” or “be a burden” and it took a while to convince him. The way he instantly agreed must mean he really needed the company. That didn’t settle well with Eddie. 

Once they finally made the drive home, Buck following the Diaz boys in his Jeep, Eddie put Chris to bed. Once he came back, Buck was sitting on the couch, staring off at the wall. Eddie decided to grab them each a beer, maybe let him settle before attempting to talk about it. He placed the bottle on the table in front of Buck as he sat down next to him, bottle in hand, waiting for Buck to make the first move. 

“You know,” Buck started, after ten minutes of silence. “You didn’t need to say that.”

“Say what?”

“What you said, to my parents, you didn’t need to do that. Stand up for me, that’s not on you,” he said, finally meeting Eddie’s gaze. 

“Buck, I know I didn’t need to, I wanted to.”

“But it’s not your responsibility, I’m not your responsibility. I should’ve been able to stand up for myself, instead of running away.”

“Buck, they shouldn’t have talked to you like that and they shouldn’t treat you like that either. I said what I needed to, they needed to hear it.”

Buck was quiet again, taking slow sips of his beer. He stared off at the wall again but it didn’t seem like he was out of it like before, he seemed like he was present. When Buck finally did speak again it startled Eddie. 

“They’ve always been like that, my parents. They always wanted a kid, one kid, and they got her. Perfect Maddie, the golden daughter. They got what they wanted and they were done, but seven years later I was born. I was an accident, they never wanted me, and they weren’t afraid to hold back that information.”

Buck put down his beer, and Eddie shuffled minutely closer. 

“Growing up they always favored Maddie, I started noticing it when I was like five or something. Just little things at first, giving her more attention or more affection. Going to all of her school or sport events, and only one or two of mine. Then it got obvious, they were obsessed with her and basically ignored me.”

Eddie could see a tear slowly make its way down Buck’s face, his hand itched to reach out and wipe it away.

“And I don’t blame Maddie, I don’t hate her, god I _love_ her. I mean at first I did because I was a kid, but then we got close. She started realizing it and she started to spend more time with me. She was always there for me when they weren’t, she hugged me when I was sad and she was there at my baseball championship. She was the only one who was ever there for me.”

Buck took a deep breath, Eddie could see his hands shaking in his lap. He reached over to put a hand on them, Buck met his eyes and gave a faint smile. 

“Then Maddie got into college, and she went away for four years. Then she moved in with Doug and we all know how that went. I was all alone since I was eleven until I could finally move out when I was eighteen. My parents basically pretended I didn’t exist for seven years, only acknowledging my presence when it was necessary to appease the public opinion.”

Buck had a hard look on his face, and after meeting the Buckleys this afternoon that didn’t surprise Eddie. They were cold people, of course they cared about appearances only. 

“Once I got into college, I stayed in the dorms, then afterwards I went to South America, then the Seals and eventually ended up here. They never cared about me. They called me maybe three times from when I left home up until I joined the department and then didn’t even call when I was in the hospital. And Maddie and I didn’t even reconnect until like two years ago, I’ve been pretty much alone for over half my life.”

Eddie needed a minute to let all that sink in. Who the hell wouldn’t want someone as amazing as Buck in their lives? Would could have him and just let him go? Not see how wonderful her really was? Eddie thinks he hates the Buckleys even more now, which he didn’t think was possible. 

“Buck I’m so sorry you were alone so long,” he said, grabbing Buck’s hand in his. “I’m sorry that they couldn’t see how amazing you really are, and I’m sorry that they ignored you all those years. You know you’re not alone now though right?”

Buck didn’t meet his eyes, and he became stiff. 

“Buck, you do know that right? You’re not alone anymore.”

“But I kind of am aren’t I? Everyone else has someone to go home to except me,” he said with a shrug. 

“Buck look at me,” he waited until Buck finally lifted his head to continue. “Sure you may live alone, but that doesn’t mean that you are alone. You know you have all of us, we’ll always be there for you. Anytime you want you’re allowed to just pop over or vice versa okay?”

Buck still didn’t look convinced but at least he was still making eye contact. 

“And listen, where would Chris and I be without you huh? We both know I can’t cook for shit, and I’m terrible at science. Chris would starve and fail out of school if it weren’t for you right?”

That got a smile out of Buck. That’s progress. 

“That’s true,” Buck smirked. “You guys would be eating frozen pizza and ramen without me here to cook.“

“Exactly, I’d be hopeless without you. We all need you Buck, I’m serious. You help with all of our kids, you’re here for us when we need you after a bad shift, and most importantly, you saved my kid’s life. You rescued him, and you were there for him in the aftermath with the nightmares. I could _never_ thank you enough for that.”

Buck looked like he had tears in his eyes, and he squeezed Eddie’s hand before speaking. 

“Eddie, I’d do _anything_ for all of you guys, you’re my family. And Chris? I’d give my life for that kid, I love him like he’s my own.”

“That’s just who you are, you’re amazing Buck.”

He then pulled Buck into a tight hug, and he felt the other man melt into him. The tension leaving his body almost immediately. Eddie pulled him a little closer at that realization, Buck relaxed into him even further. 

“Alright, I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted. Wanna head to bed?”

“Yeah, I’m beat. Sheets and blanket still in the hall closet?”

“Yeah, but come on,” Eddie said as he held out his hand. “You’re sleeping in the bed tonight.”

“No, Eddie you don’t have-“

“Shut up, it’s big enough for two of us. Get your ass in there before I drag you.”

Buck followed Eddie into the bedroom, with a bright smile on his face. They both changed into a pair of sweats and climbed into bed. If Eddie noticed that Buck scooted closer to him until they were shoulder to shoulder then he didn’t say anything. And Buck was silently grateful when Eddie reached for his hand, entangling their fingers. 

“We better get to sleep, I need to be up to make Chris pancakes for breakfast. If i leave it up to you, he’ll be eating burnt toast.”

An laugh burst out of Eddie, which caused Buck to giggle as well. Once the settled down, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, ending the day on a high note. 


End file.
